000 NOUS44 KLCH 141425 CCA PNSLCH LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-150000- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 900 AM CDT FRI OCT 14 2005 ...COMPARISON OF HURRICANE AUDREY 1957 AND HURRICANE RITA 2005... LOCAL RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN COMPARING THE SEVERITY OF THIS REGIONS MOST NOTORIOUS HURRICANES...1957 AUDREY AND 2005 RITA. HERE ARE SOME COMPARISONS OF WEATHER OBSERVATIONS FROM LOCAL AIRPORTS AND SURROUNDING AREAS. WINDS... AT LANDFALL...AUDREY HAD SUSTAINED WINDS OF 145 MPH. RITA HAD SUSTAINED WINDS OF 120 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 150 MPH. AUDREY RITA BEAUMONT 72 MPH 105 MPH LAKE CHARLES 69 MPH 110 MPH (ESTIMATED) LAFAYETTE 58 MPH 59 MPH ALEXANDRIA 49 MPH 62 MPH RAIN... BOTH AUDREY AND RITA WERE FAST-MOVING HURRICANES...THEREFORE DIMINISHING THE OVERALL RAIN TOTALS ACROSS THE REGION. AUDREY RITA BEAUMONT 4-6 INCHES 8.89 INCHES LAKE CHARLES 6-8 INCHES 7.68 INCHES LAFAYETTE 4-6 INCHES 6.24 INCHES ALEXANDRIA 4-5 INCHES 4.06 INCHES STORM SURGE... OFFICIAL STORM SURGE VALUES ARE STILL PENDING FOR HURRICANE RITA...ESTIMATED RANGES ARE LISTED. AUDREY RITA SABINE PASS 9 FT 6-10 FT CAMERON 12 FT 15-20 FT PECAN ISLAND 7-8 FT 10-15 FT INTRACOASTAL CITY 8-9 FT 10-15 FT CYPREMORT POINT 7-8 FT 8-10 FT FATALITIES... HURRICANE AUDREY CLAIMED OVER 500 LIVES IN 1957...MAINLY IN CAMERON PARISH DUE TO DROWNING IN THE STORM SURGE. HURRICANE RITA HAS CLAIMED LESS THAN TEN LIVES REPORTED SO FAR. SIX PEOPLE DIED IN BEAUMONT AS A RESULT OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING FROM USING A GENERATOR INSIDE THEIR APARMENT. ONE BODY WAS DISCOVERED IN MOSS BLUFF IN CALCASIEU PARISH...AND ANOTHER BODY WAS FOUND SOUTH OF LAKE CHARLES NEAR THE SHIP CHANNEL. THESE TWO DEATHS ARE BEING EVALUATED TO SEE IF THEY WERE DIRECTLY RELATED TO HURRICANE RITA. EFFECTS... FEW PEOPLE EVACUATED SOUTHEAST TEXAS OR SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA IN 1957 BEFORE HURRICANE AUDREY MADE LANDFALL. IN 2005...MANDATORY EVACUATIONS WERE IN PLACE ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION TWO DAYS BEFORE LANDFALL...INCLUDING JEFFERSON AND ORANGE COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...AND CAMERON AND CALCASIEU PARISHES IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. PEOPLE HEEDED THESE EVACUATION WARNINGS AND SAVED THEIR LIVES. $$ ERICKSON